Friday 28 April 1665

Up by 5 o’clock, and by appointment with Creed by 6 at his chamber, expecting Povy, who come not. Thence he and I out to Sir Philip Warwicke’s, but being not up we took a turn in the garden hard by, and thither comes Povy to us. After some discourse of the reason of the difficulty that Sir Philip Warwicke makes in issuing a warrant for my striking of tallys, namely, the having a clear account of the 26,000l. saved by my Lord of Peterborough, we parted, and I to Sir P. Warwicke, who did give me an account of his demurr, which I applied myself to remove by taking Creed with me to my Lord Ashly, from whom, contrary to all expectation, I received a very kind answer, just as we could have wished it, that he would satisfy my Lord Treasurer.

Thence very well satisfied I home, and down the River to visit the victualling-ships, where I find all out of order. And come home to dinner, and then to write a letter to the Duke of Albemarle about the victualling-ships, and carried it myself to the Council-chamber, where it was read; and when they rose, my Lord Chancellor passing by stroked me on the head, and told me that the Board had read my letter, and taken order for the punishing of the watermen for not appearing on board the ships.1 And so did the King afterwards, who do now know me so well, that he never sees me but he speaks to me about our Navy business.

Thence got my Lord Ashly to my Lord Treasurer below in his chamber, and there removed the scruple, and by and by brought Mr. Sherwin to Sir Philip Warwicke and did the like, and so home, and after a while at my office, to bed.

Among the State Papers are lists of watermen impressed and put on board the victualling ships. Attached to one of these is a “note of their unfitness and refractory conduct; also that many go ashore to sleep, and are discontent that they, as masters of families, are pressed, while single men are excused on giving money to the pressmen” (“Calendar,” Domestic, 1664-65, p. 323). ↩

By appointment with Creed by 6 at his chamber, expecting Povy, who come not.Sam the Sham can't understand that for most normal people, business doesn't start at 6AM. Yay Povy, keep insisting on the rights of humanity. It is not for himself alone, but there are many others deserving of all the help, aid, and assistance this world can give in the unending fight against the chiseling of bosses. Bah, bah, humbug on them all. Business starts at 9AM, so they say, sometimes, maybe.

Sam ought to beware angry pressed watermen and their families. It's not exactly a fair draft...Though of course military drafts continue to have their rich and precious boys evading service in various ways...and under such an unfair system I think I'd be a little more than 'refractory' if I were dragged away from my family and work and not even allowed to go home at night while my ship was still near.

"That's the one, Moll...The bugged-eyed little one in the fancy suit writin'. No, no...Moll...You can't be shoving a knife in a gent on the street. That'll do your man no good. Do it like I tole you, girl. All says he's a randy little rooster...Just give him the eye and lead him on till he'll go wid ya anywheres."

"Then I lets him have it?"

"Moll... First you sees if he'll be reasonablelike. You tell him about your man and you cry a little and you well...Up to you how far you're ready to go. And if he'll be reasonablelike, done."

"An' if not...?"

"Leave the little prick-louse's son gasping his last in the alley's horse manure and take anything you find. Ought to be enough to bribe even a pressman."

Meanwhile, the fleet was held up for lack of beer and water -- always the last commodities to be put on board.

The Rulers of the Watermen's Company had been summoned to discuss the situation with the Privy Council on the 26th, and at this day's meeting on the 28th the Council had ordered Albemarle to see to the impressment of the watermen.

On February 2, 1659/60 Pepys learned about a bogus petition to Parliament which deprived the watermen of some benefits which were now given or shared with the hackney drivers.

In an annotation to that page by Terry of 19 March, 2017 he specifically notes: “On the day before this second address was presented the Council of State had drawn up its list of official watermen -- places coveted principally because they gave freedom from impressment: CSPD 1659-60, p. 343.“

Just in case you've forgotten why Pepys wrote to Albermarle about victualing/watermen problems:

https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1665/03/17/Friday 17 March 1665 -- The Duke did give us some commands, and so broke up, not taking leave of him. But the best piece of news is that instead of a great many troublesome Lords, the whole business is to be left with the Duke of Albemarle to act as Admiral in his stead; which is a thing that do cheer my heart. For the other would have vexed us with attendance, and never done the business.

L&M footnote: Albemarle (George Monck) is to assume the role ['Admiral on Land'] the Admiralty Committee of the Privy Council (the 'troublesome Lords') played during the previous fall's campaign.

28th April, 1665. I went to Tunbridge, to see a solemn exercise at the free-school there.Having taken orders with my marshal about my prisoners, and with the doctor and chirurgeon to attend the wounded enemies, and of our own men, I went to London again, and visited my charge, several with legs and arms off; miserable objects, God knows.